The
attorneys are seeking their attorney fees and costs in the racketeering
lawsuit. Lewis and Tein of Lewis Tein are asking the judge to refer
Roman and two associates, Yesenia Lara and Yinet Pino, to the Florida
Bar for an ethics investigation.

They also want U.S. District
Judge Marcia Cooke to refer the matter to the U.S. attorney's office for
an obstruction of justice investigation.

Separately, Lehtinen
asked Cooke to hold Roman and the tribe in contempt for failing to turn
over complete audio tapes of tribal council and business meetings where
he allegedly gave bad tax advice, a key claim in the racketeering suit.
The motions indicate he believes portions of the tapes were purposely
deleted.

Lehtinen, Lewis and Tein argued Cortiñas, a Gunster
partner, heard related cases as a judge on the Third District Court of
Appeal.

Cortiñas told Cooke before his disqualification that the tribe's former attorneys were afraid of his legal prowess. "The reason they really don't want me here is I know fraud cases very well," Cortiñas said.

Sounds like there was a fear factor. Have to observe the composition of the two sides of this event. All elite on one side, white males on one side and the hubby of a Congresswomen versus an Indian Tribe represented by Hispanic Lawyers. Wonder if the playing field is fair?

Pretty bad reporting here this morning. Judge Cooke denied Lewis Tein's motion, which argued that Cortinas should be disqualified because he heard Tribe-related cases on the Third. She disqualified Cortinas, probably improperly, because Cortinas was formerly a law partner with Lehtinen. She granted Lehtinen's motion, not Lewis Tein's.

Pacenti's article does make it clear that although "disturbed" by his presence in the bunker during some of the appeals, she did only dq him for working in Big Dex's office. His argument was the appeals dealt only with Lewis/Tein as lawyers, and not parties, but the Judge apparently noted that he cited to one of those opinions anyway.

It sounded like Luis Padron, the Family Law Expert, was in Judge Cooke’s Courtroom when someone, who is obviously acquainted with Mr. Padron, used Mr. Pardons often used line about the child who kills his parents and then claims he is an orphan. Wonder who is learning what from Mr. Padron.

By the Way, for all those observers, the 11th issued a Stay, so Stay tuned! More to follow.

So now the tribe is paying millions to defend itself and its shady lawyers from having to pay many millions more as rule 11 sanctions ? Talk about a reversal . Gunster is probably soaking them for millions - most of which is just fighting to keep Gunster in the case. Wonder when tribe/Gunster will try to remove Judge Cooke from case . Desperate measures.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Monday turned down a request by the Miccosukee Indian tribe to reinstate former state appellate Judge Angel Cortiñas as its attorney.Cortiñas was disqualified Thursday by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke at a sanctions hearing in Miami. Cooke determined Cortiñas, now a Gunster partner, heard related cases while a judge on the Third District Court of Appeal.The sanctions request arose from the tribe's dismissed racketeering lawsuit against its former longtime lawyers Dexter Lehtinen, Guy Lewis, Michael Tein and others. The former tribal attorneys alleged the tribe's current attorney, Bernardo Roman III, filed the lawsuit knowing it contained false allegations.Cortiñas was retained days before Cooke's hearing as part of the tribe's new defense team.A three-judge Eleventh Circuit panel denied a writ of mandamus brought by the tribe and its attorneys."After thorough review, we find that the tribe and its attorneys have failed to demonstrate that the circumstances about which they complain amount to an 'extraordinary situation' demonstrating a 'clear and indisputable' right to the issuance of the writ," the federal appellate court said in a two-page order.